


I'm a Cop, but I Still Get Scared

by myglassesaredirty



Category: Psych
Genre: Father-Son Relationship, Gen, Hostage Situations, Protective Dad, SO, This is Bad, don't even, i am the biggest sucker for father-son relationships, i can't, i started binging this show a week and a half ago and then i got sucked into their relationship, i was half conscious when i came up with this idea, i've been writing this in free periods at school, this is Muy Terrible
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-26
Updated: 2018-09-26
Packaged: 2019-07-17 21:39:52
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,566
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16104350
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/myglassesaredirty/pseuds/myglassesaredirty
Summary: He's interrogating a perp. This perp is calm, cool, and collected.The reason why is terrifying.





	I'm a Cop, but I Still Get Scared

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Howlingdawn](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Howlingdawn/gifts).



He hates cool criminals more than anything.

 

Part of it might be because Shawn might see them and aspire to be as “cool” as them, but right now…

 

He bounces on the balls of his feet and looks through the one-way mirror at the perp they just hauled in. The guy seems entirely unfazed by the interrogation room. He looks around the gray room and locks his hands behind his head. He’s not even twitching nervously. He’s completely, 100% cool.

 

Henry looks up at the ceiling, sighs, and turns to walk into the interrogation room. The perp looks up as soon as he hears the handle turn, and he smirks when he sees Henry walk in.

 

Henry resists the urge to roll his eyes and instead glances down at the file. “Mr. Warner,” he says, tossing the file onto the steel table, “it seems you know what you’re in for.”

 

Rick Warner grins again and moves his hands from his head to the table. “Oh, yeah, I know exactly what I’m in for.”

 

Henry eyes him carefully. “You don’t seem concerned that you’re being charged with drug sale and possession, Mr. Warner.”

 

Warner laughs, and the sound of it makes Henry’s skin crawl. Warner spreads his hands and looks around the room. “Why should I be?”

 

Henry frowns. “Hm, I don’t know, maybe it’s because you’ll be put away for up to 20 years. A lot happens in that time.”

 

Warner grins again. “You know why I’m so unconcerned, Officer?”

 

This time, Henry does roll his eyes. There’s nothing Warner can say that the police haven’t encountered before: hostages, bribery, escape plans, the list continues on. Despite this, Henry decides to indulge Warner. “Alright, I’ll bite: why are you so cool?”

 

Warner’s smile looks like a snarl, and Henry feels unnerved just looking at him. “It’s ‘cause we have collateral.”

 

Henry opens his mouth to respond, but Warner shakes his head.

 

“It’s your son. Shawn, isn’t it?”

 

Henry’s heart suddenly stops beating and flies up into his throat. No. No, no, no. It can’t be.

 

He might not have fallen for it, might have even turned a blind eye, but…

 

_ That bastard knew Shawn’s name. _

 

He swallows heavily. “You’re bluffing,” he says, but even he can tell that his voice is hoarse and he has lost complete control of the situation.

 

Rick Warner leans forward and rests his hands on the table. “You wanna risk it?”

 

And  _ dammit,  _ Henry hates giving into criminals like this, hates falling for their schemes, but that’s his son in danger and he’ll be damned if he’s the reason Shawn dies.

 

He bolts out of the room, not even glancing behind him to see Rick brace his hands behind his head again.

 

*

 

When he gets to the park, he bolts out of the car, pulls his gun from his holster, and nearly bowls Gus over. “Gus! What are you doing here?”

 

Gus is absolutely terrified, and he trembles from head to toe. “Mr. S-spencer, Shawn– they have Shawn.”

 

Henry nods, torn between comforting Gus and running to kill those bastards who have his son. “I know, Gus, I know. Where is he?”

 

Gus points a trembling finger towards the edge of the park, and Henry doesn’t bother to thank him, immediately running off in that direction.

 

Henry holds his gun tightly, eyes darting in every direction in an attempt to find his son. It takes him a few minutes, but he does.

 

And his heart stops in his throat.

 

One of the men is holding Shawn in his left arm and pressing a gun to Shawn’s temple with his right. Shawn’s eyes immediately settle on his father, and he lets out a small whimper. Henry lifts his gun to shoot, but Shawn shouts, “No!”

 

He lowers his gun, just slightly, and looks around. Five men surround him, and all of them are pointing their guns at him.

 

He should have radioed for backup.

 

Shawn is trying to seem brave, and he’s certainly doing a better job of it than Henry, but his bottom lip trembles and he looks like he’s on the verge of tears.

 

He’s- he’s way too young for this.

 

“Lower your gun, old man!” the man holding Shawn calls. “We’ve got you outnumbered! Let us go, and we’ll leave your son at the border.”

 

Henry grits his teeth. Right now, he has no choice but to lower his gun, but he keeps his eyes on Shawn. “Why –”

 

“Why did we come here?” the same man says. Henry figures he’s the head of this drug ring. “Well, we’ve been trailing you for a while. Found out this was your son. We followed him here today, and well, you can figure out the rest. We couldn’t catch his little friend, though.”

 

“And you chose him because you- because he’s my kid?”

 

The drug lord smirks. “But of course.” He keeps talking, but Henry needs to talk to Shawn.

 

“Shawn.”

 

Shawn’s eyes brighten up, just a little bit.

 

“I’m so sorry.”

 

Shawn swallows heavily and nods. “I get it, Dad. You’re a cop. Protect everyone else, I’ll be fine.”

 

Henry shakes his head. “No. No, son, you don’t get it. I’m- I’m sorry.”

 

Shawn’s eyes stay on him. “Did you radio for backup?”

 

The answer is no, and Henry knows it just as well as Shawn does, but he also knows that the chief saw him rush out of the station for no particular reason. He narrows his eyes. “Did you eat your broccoli last night?”

 

The drug lord is befuddled by the seemingly random question, but Shawn understands. He starts kicking in the drug lord’s arms. “No! Let me go!”

 

The drug lord presses the barrel of the gun even harder onto Shawn’s head. “Shut  _ up, _ you little prick.”

 

“Shawn.” Henry’s voice is calm, commanding, everything he wishes he was right now.

 

Shawn stops squirming.

 

“Do you trust me?”

 

Shawn searches in his father’s eyes and then nods.

 

“Shawn,” Henry repeats, “do you trust me?”

 

“Yes.”

 

He slowly raises his gun, his eyes now locked on the drug lord’s trigger finger. “Do you trust me?”

 

“Yes, Dad, I trust you.”

 

Henry’s eyes snap back to Shawn’s. “Then close your eyes.”

 

Shawn squeezes his eyes shut, and Henry immediately takes aim and fires. The bullet hits its mark, the gun goes flying, and the drug lord swears. Henry aims at the man’s other hand and shoots again before the rest of the gang can react.

 

He hears the sound of running feet and pivots, expecting to see more of the drug ring, but his squad comes to flank him, all of them pointing their weapons at the drug ring.

 

“All of you, weapons down! You’re under arrest!” the chief shouts.

 

Henry holsters his gun and runs toward Shawn.

 

Shawn crawled away from the ring leader during the scuffle, and now he sits with his back to a tree. He’s staring at his hands, watching the way they shake.

 

“The adrenaline is wearing off,” Henry says.

 

Shawn’s eyes snap to his father’s, and Henry doesn’t miss the absolute terror in them, the tears that are threatening to fall. “Daddy,” he says, and he stretches out his arms.

 

Henry kneels and hugs Shawn tightly. “Are you okay? Did he hurt you?”

 

Shawn buries his face into Henry’s shoulder, clutching Henry’s shirt with his hands. “No.”

 

Henry runs his fingers through Shawn’s hair, and he just holds Shawn tighter. “Shawn, it’s okay.”

 

“No, they didn’t hurt me.” Shawn lets out a sob, and Henry hates himself for not guessing this sooner, hates himself for risking his son’s life. “I just got really scared.”

 

Henry presses a kiss to Shawn’s temple, and he can still see the indent from where the drug lord pressed the gun into Shawn’s head. “I know, son, I know. I was really scared, too.” He laughs without humor. “I was more terrified than I’ve ever been in my life, actually.”

 

“You get scared, Dad?”

 

_ He’s just seven years old. He shouldn’t have had- why did he have to go through this? _ “All the time, kid.”

 

Shawn’s voice is muffled by Henry’s shirt. “Is Gus okay? Did you see him?”

 

Henry smiles. “He’s just fine, Shawn. Shaking like a leaf, absolutely terrified, but fine. He’s safe.”

 

“Okay, good. I told them that he went to the bathroom and would be a while.” Shawn turns his face, and Henry misses the immediate contact. “I made him eat my ice cream cone.”

 

“What- Shawn, you  _ know _ he’s lactose intolerant.” He hasn’t stopped running his fingers through Shawn’s hair, and based on the way Shawn’s body continues to relax, he shouldn’t stop for a while.

 

Shawn nods and buries his face back into Henry’s shoulder. “I know. I saw them following us, waiting until we were alone. I knew he’d be scared, so I made him eat ice cream.”

 

“That’s…brilliant, kid.” He kisses Shawn’s temple again. “You might have saved his life.”

 

Shawn nods again.

 

They stay like that for a few minutes more, before the chief comes nearby. “Come on, Henry, we need to clear out.” He looks at the Spencers. “And bring your son.”

 

Henry sighs. “Come on, Shawn, we need to get going.”

 

Shawn shakes his head. “Don’t make me walk.”

 

Henry stands, picking Shawn up with him. Shawn continues to hold onto him. “I wouldn’t dream of it, son.”

**Author's Note:**

> Like it, love it, hate it? Tell me in the comments below or go to my tumblr, @ my-glasses-are-dirty


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